


Pieces

by Chocoholic221B



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alien AU, Breakfasts, Carnivals, Don't waste the food Kurapika, Hisoka is the cutest lil border collie you've ever seen, Kurapika is the cutest lil Alien you've ever seen, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 01:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15353577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocoholic221B/pseuds/Chocoholic221B
Summary: Young Curarpikt of the Planet Lukso has been assigned to study Planet Earth. He didn't know that meant getting stuck with this lunatic as a roommate.





	Pieces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kloffel](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kloffel).



> HAPPY BDAY KLOFFEL AND I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS BELATED BIRTHDAY GIFT. Also, I apologize for the strange characterization of Kurapika. I think I started out with an Illumi-like Kurapika (Kurumi?), and then ended up settling for normal curious Kurapika with an attitude.

**Pieces:**

The Human inhabitants on this planet were quite strange. For one thing, they split themselves into groups, and for another, there were so many of them. They bred like rats but were slightly more sanitary. For the most part, they looked similar to Kurtas, but they didn’t have Scarlet eyes or enhanced strength, nor did it appear that they could communicate telepathically.

Even with their shortcomings, he was pleasantly surprised. In books and articles, authors labeled them as savage, primitive creatures, but some of them seemed intelligent enough. One had even managed to capture him.

He was a male, about 26 years old, and quite possibly the closest to a perfect specimen of Human as you could get. His dark hair appeared smooth and silky, a bit spiky toward the ends, and was parted in the middle to reveal a cross tattooed right in the center of his forehead. He had a young face for his age, all soft curves, but his features were well-defined and sharp. Curarpikt liked his eyes. They were silver, and slightly downturned. He still had a lot to learn before he could successfully theorize what the Human was thinking but all the books said to start by analyzing his eyes, the miniature tics in his face and body as well, but mostly his eyes. All the books said Human eyes were "windows to the soul,” after all.

Even by Kurta standards, he was quite handsome, and the fact that his nose was slightly crooked seemed to strangely suit him.

“Well, Mr. Kurapika,” the Human grinned, clicking the tip of his pen. “That’s all for today.”

“Curarpikt,” Curarpikt corrected, though he knew it was of no use. Human throats weren’t made to produce such a sound, just as Kurtas would never be able to pronounce any of the Human tongues accurately.

The Human took out his cell phone, a common communication device among Humans, and stroked his thumb over the surface. Curarpikt gathered that he was probably texting. “Well, I just got the clearance.”

“Clearance?”

The Human gave him a charming grin. “They just gave me permission to shelter you. It’ll be fun. We’ll be like roommates.”

It would also mean he would be watched 24/7. Curarpikt stood in his hospital gown, and the Human said that they were confiscating his clothing for further testing, but that he would lend Curarpikt some of his own clothes once they got to his home. After that, they left the glorified interrogation room, and the Human led him out of the hospital. Curarpikt was quite relieved as well, the chemicals used in that building made him dizzy.

Only one car waited in the parking lot, and it was a sleek, well-kept black automobile that made Curarpikt wonder how it functioned. There were many inventions listed in the Catalog of Human Devices, but none of them ever gave a description of how the devices operated.

“You don’t have these sorts of things back home?”

Curarpikt shook his head. “We have portals. Much faster. But sometimes we get stuck.”

“Stuck?” the Human repeated, turning the key in the little slot below the steering wheel. “That sounds painful.”

“It is. Sometimes it takes tagoj to get us out. Oh, that’d be days by your standards,” Curarpikt replied, scratching at his arm. The fabric of the hospital gown was quite scratchy, and though it did well in covering him up, it still made him wish for his much softer Kurta clothing.

The Human started backing the car up, and then they were zooming past the towering buildings and into the countryside. Curarpikt preferred it to the loud city they had just left. There weren’t many large cities back on Lukso, as the Kurtas enjoyed both their privacy and their clean environment. There was no shortage of land either, so they could spread out as much as they’d like.

The Human’s house was a humble dwelling, and Curarpikt appreciated this. He decided right then and there that this was one of the good Humans. There were a little porch and stairs at the front. It had light gray paneling and white lining, and warm light filtered through the windows. The Human parked the car in the driveway. They crossed the path to the porch and the Human slowly pushed the door aside. A bark startled Curarpikt, making him jump back behind the Human.

The Human chuckled, leaning down to pet what looked like a mutation of a wolf. A dog. One with bright, glowing gold eyes. The little creature was gently nudged back into the house, and the Human quickly crossed the threshold, holding the door open for Curarpikt while simultaneously barring the puppy’s attempt to jump on the Kurta.

“Boss,” a young female Human arrived at the scene. She had pulled her thick, pink locks of hair into a high ponytail, and wore white shorts and a blue tank top that complimented her eyes. As she approached them, she gave Curarpikt a frigid glare, and he wondered if this was the characteristic jealousy that human mates feel when they believed their relationship was being compromised by an outsider.

“You need not concern yourself,” Curarpikt reassured. “I have no desire to steal away your mate.”

The female blanched, then glanced toward the male, and averted her eyes once more, a pretty red blush dusting her cheeks.

“Mate?” the male repeated, blinking rapidly as if that would help the words sink in. “Is that what you call them back on your home planet?”

“On Lukso, we call them vivaj partneroj, or life partners, and they are the ones dearest to us, but we also must be ready to love them sexually,” Curapikt said, leaning down to pet the puppy that had started nipping at his ankles for attention.

“And have you had a life partner?” the male asked, bending to scratch the young pup behind the ears.

“I did once,” Curarpikt replied, solemnly. “He’s gone now.”

The Human placed his hand over Curarpikt’s and it felt quite nice. Humans had a slightly higher blood temperature than Kurtas and it seemed to warm Curarpikt from the surface of his hand to the rest of his body. Incredible. He wondered what this phenomenon was called.

“My condolences,” said the Human, glancing up at the female, who crossed her arms and turned her face away. “We recently lost someone very dear to us as well.”

“I see. That is unfortunate,” Curarpikt replied.

The Human beamed at him. “Well, nothing could be done.”

“Who was it?” Curarpikt asked, hoping he wasn’t intruding on the Human’s life.

“Machi’s husband, he died three months ago,” the Human responded. Curarpikt frowned, confused. He was quite sure Humans were monogamous, but the woman seemed to care much for the male in front of her. Perhaps, their bonds weren’t for life as the Kurtas’ were, or perhaps once their partner died, they no longer needed to be faithful to them.

“Well, that’s in the past,” the male said. He gestured to the stairs in the living room. “Shall we go?”

“Jes,” Curarpikt replied, slipping into his native tongue as he slipped further down into his thoughts. He matched the Human’s strides up the stairs and down a small corridor. The Human opened a wooden door.

“This will be your room,” he said, gesturing dramatically for him to enter. Curarpikt gifted him a smile but quietly found it strange. He supposed that was normal since this was a completely different planet.

There were light blue walls, and a bed with a green-hued metal frame stood in the left corner of the bedroom. He’d also been given a sturdy oak desk and a sizeable wardrobe, as well as one large window on the opposite side of the room.  

“It’s not much, but it’ll do,” the Human said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Humans certainly were touchy creatures. “Do tell me if there’s anything you need.”

“I will.”

“I had Machi buy you some clothes as well,” the Human added. “Machi is the name of the girl downstairs, by the way. She’ll be coming around often. I wanted to buy you clothes myself, but she insisted. Apparently, Machi doesn’t trust my fashion sense in any way, shape, or form.”

Curarpikt looked him up and down. He was smartly dressed in a suit and black trousers, though he appeared to have forgotten to put on a tie. Nothing too tragic.

“Machi picked this outfit for me as well,” the Human said, scratching the back of his head, sheepishly. “Anyway, there’s clothes in the wardrobe, since I gather you’d rather not stay in that hospital gown for your entire stay on Earth.”

Curarpikt approached the armoire and peered inside. There were many pieces of clothing, none of which resembled the attire of the Kurta, and Curarpikt felt he missed his traditional garb. He recalled the image of the typical Human sleepwear and pulled out a solid-colored outfit made of a thin, shiny fabric. The apparel matched the version in his head more or less, and he began to rid himself of the scratchy hospital gown.

The Human grabbed his hands.

“Not in here,” he said, glancing out the window. The next house was a mile away, at least, but the Human still regarded it with suspicion. “C’mon, you can change in the bathroom.”

And so, Curarpikt was escorted to the bathing area and left there to change. He found his way back to his bedroom on his own. When he walked in, however, he saw the Human’s puppy had invaded his bed. The pup opened one eye, and then barked, its tail wagging.

“Hello,” Curarpikt greeted, scratching him behind the ears. His eyes found the collar around its neck, and though his abilities in regards to reading Human languages was limited, he was able to decipher the name written on the collar. “Hisoka.”

The dog barked again, happily sliding under his arm. It wasn’t so bad, Earth. Especially if it had such adorable creatures walking its surface.

. . .

Curarpikt slept well that night, though only briefly. His Human host soon knocked on his door, declaring breakfast was served, and Curarpikt felt a wet tongue lick his cheek.

“Hmm, ‘soka, no,” he said, pushing the pup away. The beast barked at him as the Kurta sat up. It ran to the door, wagging its tail. Curarpikt yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Curarpikt turned the knob and pushed the door open, and the puppy scrambled away.

Curarpikt shut the door behind him and headed back down the stairs, catching the Human’s voice as he greeted Hisoka.

“Good boy,” he heard. “Did you stay the whole night with Kurapika? I was wondering where you’d gone.”

“It’s Curarpikt,” the Kurta corrected, as he stepped into the brightly lit kitchen. The morning sun filtered in through the windows, flooding the room with warmth. The Human had laid out two plates on the dining table, which was covered by an egg white linen cloth. There were small cartoon animals embroidered onto the ends of the fabric, and Curarpikt decided he was starting to like this Human more and more.

He sat down and looked down at the plate in front of him. 

“What is this?” he asked, poking the food with his finger. His brow furrowed. What was it called? Bread?

“They’re pancakes,” the Human replied, popping up beside him with a leaf-shaped container filled to the brim with amber syrup. He poured a small amount on the ‘pancakes’ and Curarpikt gave him a suspicious glower. It looked like Machi hadn't picked out her mate's clothing today. He was dressed in a colorful, horrid shirt and khaki shorts. “I thought we could celebrate your arrival with something a little richer. I hope you like them.”

Curarpikt wrinkled his nose at the ‘pancakes’. They were burnt in some places, and his parents – who ran a bakery and took food very seriously – were always adamant about him never eating food with even the slightest burns. However, what if this was how ‘pancakes’ were made? What if they were supposed to burn them? It would be rude to say no.

The Kurta swallowed, cut a piece off with a fork – which he learned how to use during his training – and popped it in his mouth. His face crumpled a bit but he forced the bitter breakfast food down.

“So, how is it?” the devilish Human asked, resting his chin on his joined hands. “Good?”

Curarpikt gave him a weak smile. “Delicious.”

The Human chuckled. “You don’t have to pretend. I know my food is less than ideal.”

_ Then why did you make him eat it? _

Curarpikt kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to anger the human, even if he didn’t seem like the type to get angry easily. Curarpikt slid the plate of food away, but the Human cleared his throat.

“However, food is food, and therefore you must not let it go to waste,” the Human said and shoved a large piece of pancake into his mouth as if to prove a point. He cringed at the taste, but then cast Curarpikt an expectant gaze.

Curarpikt squirmed. “But what if I get sick and die?”

“You crossed the galaxy to be here, and you’re telling me you’re afraid of some food poisoning?” said the Human, waving his hand in the air.

Curarpikt grimaced at the mocking undertone in his voice, his pride stirring within him. That stubbornness his mother always scolded him for reared its ugly face. He grabbed his plate and moved to the garbage can in the interior of the kitchen. The Human watched with a mix of disbelief and annoyance, as Curarpikt shoved the rest of the pancakes into the bin, all the while maintaining his steely glare.

He would not eat burnt, ill-prepared food.

“Well then,” the Human sighed, turning his face away. “I was thinking that I’d take you to the Carnival today, but it seems you’d prefer to act up.”

“Carnival?” Curarpikt echoed, his interest piqued. “You mean those cultural parties? With the big wheels and unhealthy food?”

The Human propped his chin on a pale palm. “So you’re aware of what carnivals are? I see. Well, it’s unfortunate that I’ll have to put you on house arrest for the next few weeks. By then, the Carnival would have moved on.”

Curarpikt’s eye twitched, and he glanced away to the dirty dishes in the metal sink. Humiliation and Carnival, or pride and misery? He bit his lip. Curarpikt disliked the idea of being treated like a child by this Human, but his mission was to study life on Earth. Not to mention going to a real Human Carnival would be an exhilarating experience. He really wanted to go on one of those big wheels.

His fists clenched and he approached the man, robotically. Curarpikt’s steps halted beside him, and the man glanced up, raising an eyebrow. Still, a small smirk crawled over his face, and Curarpikt felt his stomach twist in mortification.

“What do you want me to do?” he hissed through his teeth, eyes closed in defeat. They had certainly turned Scarlet by now, and he wouldn’t allow the man to catch even a glimpse of a sliver of them.

He heard the sound of a chair scraping and a hand warm on his shoulder. The hand moved to his cheek and then to his hair. “Don’t work about it, Kura. I was just teasing. However, I would appreciate it if you ate the food served to you here. In some places, it could get you into some serious trouble if you refused a meal prepared by someone else.”

Curarpikt felt the red in his vision disappear, and so he slowly opened his eyes. The Human stood there with a glowing, friendly smile, as if he hadn’t just scarfed down the last of Curarpikt’s dignity.

“How does tonight sound?” the Human asked, swiping at his phone again.

“Huh?”

The Human’s smirk returned tenfold. “The Carnival is best observed at night, my dear Kurapika.”

“It’s Curarpikt.”

. . .

The atmosphere in the Carnival was chaotic, but it was the sort of beautiful chaos that took your breath away, and as his breath hitched, Curarpikt felt his stomach flip in excitement. There were so many foreign smells, scents of sweet popped corn kernels and hot dogs and hamburgers and cotton candy, all mixing into a mist of delicious vapors. Miniature baby Humans ran around, carrying stuffed bears and edible treats. Curarpikt saw that several of the humans had painted their faces and asked the Human if he could get his face painted as well. The male laughed in response, and a few minutes later, Curarpikt had a tiger face imprinted on his pristine skin and a cone of spun sugar in his hand.

“Is it good?” his companion asked.

Curarpikt nodded, fervently, talking through a mouth of fluff, “wyes, vewy gwood.”

He laughed again. “I’m glad to hear that.”  

Curarpikt grinned, but his attention was quickly bought by the bumper car arena a few feet away. He pointed at it, excitedly. “Can we do that?”

“Sure. Just finish your fo –”  

Curarpikt stuffed the rest of the candy in his mouth and tossed the cone into a nearby recycling bin. Then, he grabbed his hand and pulled him toward what looked like the reenactment of purposeful car accidents. How perfect, he’d been wanting to get revenge all day.

The manager of the bumper car area was a young man with pompadour-styled red locks and a lot of facial hair. A large grin split his face as Curarpikt’s Human drew near.

“Chrollo, dude!” the male proclaimed, slapping Curarpikt’s Human on the back. “How are ya? Who’s your date?”

His Human’s name was Chrollo. Interesting. Perhaps, he should start calling the male by his name. After all, he called his dog by its name.

Chrollo chuckled again, that easy, carefree laugh that seemed to tingle in Curarpikt’s ears. “This is Curarpikt. He’s staying at my house. And not in the way you’re thinking, Basho.”

The man shrugged and unlatched the gate to the arena. “What can I say? He looks like your type. A pretty boy.”

“He’s more of a little brother to me,” Chrollo reassured. The Kurta’s brow furrowed. A little brother. Did that put him below Chrollo in status? Because that would be – what do Humans call it again? – bullshit.

As he sat down in the pretend car, Curarpikt vowed to show this little bastard that they were equals, even if Curarpikt wasn’t from this planet.

“You sure you’ve got this?” Chrollo asked. The arena was clear save for two other couples, who seemed too wrapped up in themselves to notice what was going on.

“Yes,” Curarpikt restated from his blue vehicle. “Can we start now?” Because he was ready to beat him to a pulp.

“Very well.”

Curarpikt let out a small delighted squeal as his car charged forward. Chrollo had barely enough time to dodge, and Curarpikt immediately regrouped and plowed toward him again. Yes, he liked this game quite a lot.

. . .

“You think you could’ve been a little less rough?” Chrollo huffed, rubbing his bruised elbow. It was rather disappointing, really. Curarpikt had expected him to be a little more frustrated, but he just appeared amused, leaving Curarpikt to vexation because of his lack of vexation.

Chrollo tapped Curarpikt’s chin, suddenly. “Chin up. You won, remember.”

Oh, he remembered. It just felt like his Human didn’t.

“How about we go to the Ferris wheel next?” Chrollo gestured to the spinning contraption, which was a bundle of lights and glinting metal in the night sky. “That’ll cheer you up.”

Curarpikt raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless.

. . .

It was so big, Curarpikt nearly fell back trying to take it all in. There were brightly hued compartments, which Chrollo assured him were perfectly safe to be in, connected together by iron in a giant circle. Numerous lights dotted the wheel, shifting tones every so often, and Curarpikt wondered why they didn't have colorful bulbs like these back home. The ring gradually finished churning, and the man who supervised it nodded to them. Inside, it was cooler. There were windows, but they had been rolled down like the glass in a car. Curarpikt sat down in one of the red leather seats, and Chrollo followed suit, taking his place across from him. A few seconds later, the mechanism resumed its gentle ascension.

Curarpikt peeked through the window, pursed his lips, and then sat down next to Chrollo instead, his arms circling around the man's own limb.

"Don't close your eyes," Chrollo whispered in his ear, his breath hot as the hairs on the back of Curarpikt's neck stood up. There were goosebumps spreading over his skin now, but he let his eyes flutter open. "The main attraction is about to start."

Scarlet strands began to swell in his vision until everything was caught in a red sheen.

The cities on Earth  _ glowed _ , or at least this one did. Like stars had scattered across the land. He could hear the life of the Carnival, still, the reigning energy, boundless in its attempt to pummel them into happy little dust specks of joy. Chrollo was warm against him as he looked out onto a small piece of the planet he'd dreamed about since he was a little Kurta. He wanted to see more. He wanted to experience all this planet, this Earth had to offer. With his heart pounding in his ears like this, and this strange thrill filling his chest, he would see every piece of this everchanging mess of a planet.

Except for the parts that have more than a 60% chance of killing him. He was fine with not experiencing those.

Curarpikt turned back to Chrollo, cheeks flushed with the raging excitement within him. He felt hot, incredibly so, and his limbs restless. Ideas, plans began to form in his mind. Where he could go tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, and pretty soon he had the next six months planned out in his head. His eyes took heed to the stunned look on his Human's face, but the information never got to his brain. He was too adrenalized, energized by his first real look at Earth.

"Your eyes," Chrollo breathed.

Curarpikt's forehead contorted. Chrollo had already known of his eyes. He'd told him during his first screening. "What of it?"

Chrollo tore his eyes away with what looked like excruciating difficulty. "It's nothing."

The Kurta was hardly convinced of this, but he decided to let it go, retreating back within his brain. He didn't even notice when Chrollo intertwined their hands, his eyes taking on a completely foreign sheen. Nor could he predict what was going through his head at that moment.

_ "Scarlet Eyes to drive one insane. Just like in the stories. What shall I do?" _

_ "Kill him?" _

_ "No. Protect him." _

**. Happy Birthday, Kloffel .**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this little one shot. I'm gonna get back to working on all my other fics now.
> 
> Also, check out kloffel on twitter @kloffel


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